Blackfeet tribal members sue to stop Trump tariffs against Canada

On Friday in federal court, Jonathan St. Goddard, along with state Sen. Susan Webber, D-Browning, filed a lawsuit in federal court asking a judge for an injunction against Trump’s tariffs on Canada, arguing that it violates the treaty rights of Indigenous people across the nation, and saying that only Congress can approve tariffs, not the president, according to the U.S. Constitution.

Joyce Town, 91

Joyce (Lewis) Town, 91 years old, went to be with Jesus on April 10, 2025. Her Celebration of Life service was April 19, 2025, at Terrace Lake Community Church at 11 a.m.

Births at St. Luke's

Frederick Walter Schmidt was born April 10 at the St. Luke Community Healthcare New Beginnings Birth Center in Ronan. He measured 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 20 inches long.

Ronan and Charlo pick up wins at Big Sky Quad Track Meet

Athletes from Ronan and Charlo put together a strong showing Friday at the Big Sky Quad meet in Missoula, collecting multiple top-three finishes in both boys and girls events.

Montana Legislators: Don’t bring back smoking indoors

Some ideas are so bad that they’re ridiculous. Like bringing back smoking rooms to Montana businesses.

Legals for May, 7 2025

Marriages & Divorces

The following marriages and divorces were recently recorded at the Lake County Courthouse in Polson:

Contractor pleads not guilty to felony theft

A Polson man is accused of accepting down payments for contracting services and doing little to no work. Donald Dean Guthrie, 68, entered a plea of not guilty in District Court in Polson April 9 to three counts of felony theft.

Fentanyl dealer sentenced to eight years in MSP

A Ronan woman, accused of conspiring with a man from Pasco, Wash., to bring fentanyl to Lake County for distribution, was sentenced in District Court in Polson April 17 to eight years in the Montana State Women’s Prison with three years suspended.

Rachel Jean Booth, 44

Rachel Jean Booth (Marr), 44, of Plains, stepped into eternal joy in the presence of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, April 3. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 12, at the Church on the Move in Plains.

Horse trading at the expense of Montana taxpayers

After blowing off property tax relief entirely during the 2023 Montana Legislative Session, our senators and representatives are on track to repeat the mistake.

Repertory Dance Theatre delivers world-class dance to Mission Valley

Mission Valley Live wraps up its performing arts season with a splash, courtesy of Repertory Dance Theatre of Utah. Members of the nation’s oldest and most successful repertory dance company will bring a dozen programs to area schools and other Mission Valley venues, before taking the stage at the Ronan Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. next Friday, May 16.

Polson Seniors: Thank you, AARP Tax Assistance volunteers

The AARP Tax Filing Assistance program has filed nearly 700 individual or joint tax returns over the past 10 weeks for local senior citizens.

Polson Seniors: Death and taxes

A person who works eight hours a day for five days a week works 2,080 hours a year. One half of that is 1,040 hours. The standard tax form is called the Form 1040, which is, so ironically, one half of 2080. The subliminal suggestion is that half of your wages go towards taxes.

Legislature hits pause on Public Law 280

The future of Public Law 280, the law enforcement agreement between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and state and county governments, seems to be on pause – at least at the legislative level.

Raymond "Ray" Bick, 86

Raymond “Ray” Paul Bick, 86, died of natural causes on April 9, 2025, at his home in Cherry Creek, Nev. He was born Aug. 4, 1938, in Ronan, the eighth of nine children born to Clarence and Evelyn Bick of Round Butte, west of Ronan. Services will be held April 19, at 10 a.m. at The Lake Funeral Home, 101 6th Ave. E. in Polson, followed by graveside military services at Mountain View Cemetery, 46727 N. Foothills Dr., Ronan.

Polson, Ronan heat up at Iceberg Invite

The April 17 Iceberg Invite in Columbia Falls brought together dozens of western Montana’s top track and field athletes, and competitors from Lake County were right in the mix, picking up event wins, personal bests, and strong team finishes.

Time Capsule: From the archives of local weeklies

Stories harvested from the Flathead Courrier, April 22, 1971

Mack Days angler reels in tagged fish worth $1,000

Many anglers participating in Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake are having great days and big numbers of lake trout entries. An exciting event over the fourth weekend was a $1,000 tagged lake trout that was turned in by Michael Stevenson of Kalispell.

Spring Mack Days shaping up as a record-breaker

Fish on! Spring Mack Days on Flathead Lake is on course for a new record of lake trout entries.